Archive for August, 2007

June was hot this year and many Swedes likely ended up in a hammock. Because I did not want a lazy summer and registered for Bounce summer camp 2007. I and a friend went for an intensive week of Hip-Hop training. 900 persons participate in this event every year. There were three different weeks and levels to choose from. The disciplines that you could choose from were Jazz dance and Hip-Hop.

Bounce is one of Sweden‘s most well known dance groups. The members are: Joe, Jennie, Fredrik, Filmon, David, Ambra and Alvaro. The group started 10 years ago and has reached great success with their shows. Good trainers are hard to find, but Bounce are a few of those.

It was a lot of opportunities to mingle with other dancers in the cafeteria and on the grill party in the middle of the week. It is interesting to meet dancers from different parts of Sweden. In the end of the week all had the possibility to show what we had learned together with the bounce members. The performance was crowded event. It was interesting to watch all the different choreographies and an evening that we all won’t forget for a long time.

It is not every morning that you wake up by a bunch of singing Catholic pilgrims one their way to honour a saint. This happened to me when being on vacation in Warsaw, when staying on a five star hotel. I used to think that pilgrim dress in ascetic fashion, but now I know better. They bring megaphones, commercial placards and t-shirts with Jesus. I found this rare occurrence interesting and dressed quickly to be able to photograph it.

Warsaw the capital of Poland is a city in a cumulative economical development. Skyscrapers are now a usual site in the new parts of the city. Some districts look like the introduction to series Dallas in the 80’s. In the old part of the city the King’s castle was all gone by the end of World War II, but are know rebuilt and many other monuments has also been reconstructed. The greyness of the city is almost gone and replaced with white and colours of the rainbow.

Swedish squares areoften rather empty in the evening after the shops have closed, but in Warsaw it is a meeting place. People that are walking, laughing, playing and eating make the squares to joyful places. Kids can buy balloons from clowns, musicians are playing and there are jugglers that dance with fire. Instead of a taxi you can take a horse and a carriage. The meat they serve in the restaurants are usually tender and the service is good.

Three years ago I visited Krakow, the cultural centre of Poland. It was a bit depressing because people was poor, the houses grey and the medical care did not work. I hope the development that I now have seen I Warsaw also has spread to Krakow. If you like to see what is happening in today’s Europe go to Warsaw. The real Warsaw is very different from the picture you get from newspapers and TV.